Shoe

ABSTRACT

A shoe having a structure with excellent acceleration performance is provided. A shoe includes: a sole made of a soft material, which includes a ground contact surface and also includes a foot contact surface facing a side opposite to the ground contact surface; and an upper combined with the foot contact surface side of the sole. A thickness of the sole at a position corresponding to an MP joint of a wearer is different from a thickness of the sole at a position corresponding to the center of the heel such that an angle between the foot contact surface and the ground contact surface falls within the range of 8 to 16 degrees. Accordingly, a shoe having a structure that provides excellent feeling of acceleration is provided.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to shoes, and particularly to sports shoes.

BACKGROUND ART

For shoes used for sports, such as middle-distance or long-distance running, various technologies have been conventionally proposed to improve the functionality including comfort in running, and stability. Such functionality of shoes includes acceleration performance. For example, Patent Literature 1 describes improving the restitution function of shoe soles to improve acceleration performance of the shoes.

PRIOR ART REFERENCE Patent Literature

Patent Literature 1: Japanese Patent No. 4704429

SUMMARY OF INVENTION Technical Problem

A purpose the present invention is to provide a shoe having a structure with excellent acceleration performance using a technical means completely different from that in Patent Literature 1.

Solution to Problem

In response to the above issue, the present invention includes:

-   -   a sole made of a soft material, which includes a ground contact         surface and also includes a foot contact surface facing a side         opposite to the ground contact surface; and     -   an upper combined with the foot contact surface side of the         sole, in which     -   a thickness of the sole at a position corresponding to an MP         joint of a wearer is different from a thickness of the sole at a         position corresponding to the center of the heel such that an         angle between the foot contact surface and the ground contact         surface falls within the range of 8 to 16 degrees.

With such a configuration, the bottom of a wearer's foot can be tilted forward when the ground contact surface of the shoe comes into contact with the ground. Accordingly, the wearer's force to push off the ground can be efficiently converted into the force to advance.

Advantageous Effects of Invention

The present invention provides a shoe having a new structure with excellent acceleration performance.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

Embodiments will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings which are meant to be exemplary, not limiting, and wherein like elements are numbered alike in several Figures, in which:

FIG. 1 is a top view of a foot skeleton;

FIG. 2 is a side view of a shoe according to an embodiment;

FIG. 3 is another side view of the shoe;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the shoe;

FIG. 5 is a top view of the shoe;

FIG. 6 is a top view of a shoe according to a modification;

FIGS. 7 are schematic side views of the shoe;

FIG. 8 is a side view of a shoe according to another modification;

FIG. 9 is a side view of a shoe according to yet another modification; and

FIG. 10 is a graph that shows experimental results of the shoe according to the embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Definitions of terms used in this specification will be described. In this specification, front and back directions, width directions, and vertical directions may be used as terms indicating directions. These terms indicate directions viewed from a viewpoint of a wearer wearing a shoe placed on a flat surface. Accordingly, the front direction means a direction toward the toe side, and the back direction means a direction toward the heel side. Also, a medial side and a lateral side of a foot may be used as terms indicating directions. The medial side of a foot means the inner side of the foot in a width direction, i.e., the big toe (first toe) side of the foot, and the lateral side of the foot means the side opposite to the medial side along a width direction.

Also, in the following description, a sole of a shoe may be referred to. The sole means a midsole only, or both an outsole and a midsole. Further, in some examples, directions may be described using a three-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system. In this case, the X-axis extends from the lateral side toward the medial side of the foot, the Y-axis extends from the heel side toward the toe side, and the Z-axis extends from the bottom surface side toward the upper side.

Before a shoe according to an embodiment is described, a foot skeleton relevant to the shoe according to the embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 1.

FIG. 1 is a top view of a foot skeleton. A human foot is mainly constituted by cuneiform bones Ba, a cuboid bone Bb, a navicular bone Bc, a talus Bd, a calcaneus Be, metatarsal bones Bf, and phalanges Bg. Joints of a foot include MP joints Ja, Lisfranc joints Jb, and a Chopart's joint Jc. The Chopart's joint Jc includes a calcaneocuboid joint Jc1 formed by the cuboid bone Bb and the calcaneus Be, and a talocalcaneonavicular joint Jc2 formed by the navicular bone Bc and the talus Bd. In this specification, a “forefoot portion” of a wearer means a portion positioned forward of the MP joints Ja; when it is restated with shoe length ratio, the forefoot portion means a portion of about 0-30% of the entire shoe length measured from the toe side. Also, a “midfoot portion” means a portion from the MP joints Ja to the Chopart's joint Jc and, similarly, also means a portion of about 30-80% of the entire shoe length measured from the toe side. Also, a “rearfoot portion” means a portion positioned rearward of the Chopart's joint Jc and, similarly, also means a portion of about 80-100% of the entire shoe length measured from the toe side. In FIG. 1, a center line S indicates a center line of a shoe and extends along a middle part in a foot width direction. The center line S is assumed to be a region positioned on a straight line passing through a third metatarsal bone Bf3 and a medial process Be1 of calcaneal tuberosity of the calcaneus Be in a human body. FIG. 1 shows an area in which the medial process Be1 of calcaneal tuberosity is assumed to be positioned. The ratios in the entire shoe length are indications and do not limit the ranges of the forefoot portion, midfoot portion, and rearfoot portion.

FIGS. 2 and 3 are side views of the shoe. More specifically, FIG. 2 is a side view of the shoe viewed from the medial side of the foot (from the negative X side), and FIG. 3 is a side view of the shoe viewed from the lateral side of the foot (from the positive X side). Also, FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the shoe, and more specifically a sectional side view along the center line S. For the sake of convenience, the upper is omitted in FIG. 4.

As illustrated in FIGS. 2 through 4, a shoe 10 includes a sole 12 having a ground contact surface to be in contact with the ground, and an upper 14 that covers the sole 12.

The upper 14 has a shape that covers an upper side of an instep. The upper 14 includes an upper body 16, a tightening means (tightening structure) 18 for the upper, and a slit 20 that extends along the front and back directions of the upper 14 around the middle in a width direction of the upper 14. Also, to the upper 14, a shoe tongue 22 is attached. In the present embodiment, as the tightening means 18 for adjusting the degree of tightening the upper 14, a structure constituted by a combination of grommets and a shoelace is employed. As the tightening means 18, a hook-and-loop fastener or the like may also be used. Also, the upper may be a monosock upper having no slit.

The upper body 16 may be made of a mesh material obtained by knitting synthetic fiber, such as polyester and polyurethane, or made of synthetic leather or natural leather, for example, and has a shape covering an instep. The slit 20 is a buffer portion for adjusting the width of the upper body by adjusting the degree of tightening the shoelace. On each side in a width direction of the slit 20, multiple grommets are provided. The shoe tongue 22 is exposed through the slit 20, and, when a shoelace is tied, the shoelace has no contact with the wearer's instep.

The sole 12 is a sheet member having a foot shape as a whole in top view. On one surface (the bottom surface) of the sole 12, a ground contact surface 24 is formed, and, on the other surface (the upper surface) thereof, a foot contact surface 26 is formed. At least part of the sole 12 is formed of a soft material. Along the front and back directions (the directions along the Y-axis), the sole 12 is continuously provided from the front end to the rear end of the shoe 10, in which the forefoot portion, midfoot portion, and rearfoot portion are integrally formed. The thickness of the sole 12 is largely different along the front and back directions. The forefoot portion is thinner, and the rearfoot portion is thicker. In this case, the maximum thickness of the rearfoot portion of the sole 12 may suitably be three to five times the maximum thickness of the forefoot portion of the sole 12. When the thickness of the forefoot portion of the sole 12 is 10 mm, for example, the thickness of the rearfoot portion of the sole 12 may be 30-50 mm. By setting the maximum thickness of the rearfoot portion of the sole 12 to five times the maximum thickness of the forefoot portion of the sole 12 or less, the stability in wearing the shoes can be maintained. Also, by setting the maximum thickness of the rearfoot portion of the sole 12 to three times the maximum thickness of the forefoot portion of the sole 12 or greater, the feeling of acceleration in wearing the shoes 10 can be obtained. With the structure of the sole 12 having thickness different along the front and back directions, an angle between the foot contact surface 26 and the ground contact surface 24 (hereinafter may be referred to as a “forward tilt angle”) falls within the range of 8 to 16 degrees. The method for measuring the angle between the foot contact surface 26 and the ground contact surface 24 will be described later.

As particularly illustrated in FIG. 4, the sole 12 includes an outsole 28 formed on the bottom surface, and a midsole 30 disposed on the outsole 28 and having certain elasticity. Also, on the midsole 30, an insole 32 may be disposed. In the sole 12, the outsole 28, midsole 30, and insole 32 are laminated in this order from the bottom. The thickness of the sole 12 is substantially equal to the total thickness of the outsole 28 and the midsole 30. Accordingly, to make the thickness of the sole 12 different along the front and back directions as described previously, the thickness of each of the outsole 28 and the midsole 30 constituting the sole 12 is appropriately adjusted. Meanwhile, when the thickness of the outsole 28 is uniform overall, the thickness of the outsole 28 does not affect the forward tilt angle between the foot contact surface 26 and the ground contact surface 24. Accordingly, the thickness of the outsole 28 sometimes need not be considered when the angle is adjusted.

The outsole 28 may be formed by shaping rubber into a predetermined shape, for example. The outsole 28 is pasted over the bottom surface of the midsole 30 such as to cover at least part of the bottom surface of the midsole 30. Accordingly, when viewed from a side, the shape of the outsole 28 substantially follows the shape of the bottom surface of the midsole 30. The outsole 28 has the ground contact surface 24 to be in contact with the ground G. The ground contact surface 24 has a rugged pattern, which improves grip.

The outsole 28 is formed such that multiple insular portions thereof are pasted onto predetermined positions of the bottom surface of a predetermined midsole. The ground contact surface 24 need not necessarily be a continuous surface, and may be separated into multiple portions on an X-Y plane. Even though the ground contact surface 24 is separated, when the shoe 10 is placed on a horizontal flat surface, one ground contact surface can be defined between the shoe 10 and the horizontal surface.

The midsole 30 absorbs impact, and part of or the entirety of the midsole 30 is formed of a soft material for absorbing impact, which may be a foam material, such as expanded EVA or urethane foam, GEL, or cork, for example. The material of the midsole 30 may suitably have the Young's modulus of 10 MPa or less (when the strain is 10%) or a value measured using the ASKER Durometer Type C of 70 or less. Also, as will be described in a modification, when the midsole 30 has a predetermined elastic structure, instead of a solid structure, the midsole 30 may be formed of a hard material. In this case, rigid urethane, nylon, FRP, or the like may be used as the hard material. The midsole 30 is tilted forward such that the upper surface thereof faces the front side (toward the positive Y direction). More specifically, in the upper surface of the midsole 30, the range from the midfoot portion to the rearfoot portion is tilted forward, and the forefoot portion is flat along a substantial X-Y plane. The boundary between the forward tilt portion and the flat portion in the midsole 30 substantially corresponds to a virtual line that connects the MP joints Ja. Accordingly, it may be simply said that, in the upper surface of the midsole 30, the toe side from the virtual line connecting the MP joints Ja is flat, and the heel side from the virtual line is tilted forward.

The outer edge of the midsole 30 has a planar shape approximated to a projected shape of a foot in top view. The upper surface of the midsole 30 has an uneven shape that corresponds to the uneven shape of the bottom of a foot. The upper 14 is combined with the upper surface of the midsole 30. More specifically, the upper 14 is combined along the outer edge of the midsole 30, or along a line slightly inside the outer edge of the midsole 30. To combine the upper 14 with the midsole 30, the edge of the upper 14 may be sewed onto the midsole 30, or a bonding means, such as an adhesive, may be used for the combination, for example.

In the midfoot portion of the bottom surface of the midsole 30, an arch portion 34 is formed to be recessed toward the positive Z direction. The arch portion 34 is formed by providing a groove extending along the Y-axis such as to space a portion between the rearfoot portion and the forefoot portion of the midsole 30 from the ground in the positive Z direction. With the arch portion 34 provided, when the midsole 30 is compressed from the above while the shoe 10 is in contact with the ground G, a space for deformation of the midsole 30 can be ensured. The shape of the arch portion 34 in side view is not particularly limited. As illustrated, the shape may be an inverted V shape in which the toe side surface and the heel side surface of the groove are tilted such that the vertex points to the positive Z side. Also, the heel side surface may be a vertical surface extending along a Z-axis direction, for example. With the groove of an inverted V shape, the amount of the midsole 30 on the heel side of the arch portion 34 can be increased, so that the rearfoot portion of the midsole 30 cannot be easily deformed. In the arch portion 34, the outsole 28 need not necessarily be provided.

A heel part 36 of the bottom surface of the midsole 30 has a curved shape when viewed from a side. More specifically, when viewed from a side, the heel part 36 has an arc shape that is concave in the negative Y direction and the negative Z direction. With such a shape of the heel part 36, when the wearer's heel lands on the ground, the foot is rolled in the positive Y direction along the curved shape, leading to smooth landing. For smoother landing, the curved shape may desirably be formed such that the lowest point is positioned immediately below the center of the calcaneus, and the radius of curvature R is about 100 to 200 mm. At the time, to ensure a sufficient contact area, a section of about 10 mm from the lowest point in the positive and negative Y directions may be a flat surface. Even if a step or an inverted curve is provided outside the section of 10 mm from the lowest point in the positive and negative Y directions such that the corresponding part is not in contact with the ground, a similar rolling effect can be obtained.

The shoe 10 includes a reinforcement member 38 that reinforces the midsole.

FIG. 5 is a top view of the shoe. More specifically, FIG. 5 is a top view of the shoe without the upper. As illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5, the reinforcement member 38 is disposed on the upper surface of the midsole 30 and continuously extends from the rearfoot portion to the vicinity of the boundary between the midfoot portion and the forefoot portion of the midsole 30. In FIG. 4, the cross section of the reinforcement member 38 is indicated by hatching in the interest of clarity. The reinforcement member 38 may be formed of a polyurethane resin, such as thermoplastic polyurethane, or a plastic material, such as a fiber reinforced plastic, for example. The reinforcement member 38 as a whole has an outer shape similar to that of the midsole 30 when viewed from the top. As illustrated in FIG. 5, when viewed from the top, a middle part of the reinforcement member 38 may be hollow. Such a middle hollow is not essential. In the rearfoot portion, the reinforcement member 38 specifically extends along an outer edge of the rearfoot portion. In the midfoot portion, the reinforcement member 38 extends along the medial side and the lateral side. The reinforcement member 38 also extends along the boundary between the midfoot portion and the forefoot portion, and the front side of the reinforcement member 38 is terminated at the boundary. Such a reinforcement member 38 can improve the strength of the midsole 30 from the rearfoot portion to the boundary between the midfoot portion and the forefoot portion and also improve the integrity. Also, with the reinforcement member 38, force can be appropriately transmitted to the ground G. Further, with the reinforcement member 38 provided, twist of the shoe 10 around the center line S can be restrained.

The forward tilt angle of the reinforcement member 38 is approximate to the forward tilt angle of the upper surface of the midsole 30, and may suitably fall within the range of 8 to 20 degrees. Also, the reinforcement member 38 may be regarded as part of the sole 12 and an insole may be provided on the reinforcement member 38, and the forward tilt angle may be determined based on the upper surface of the insole 32 as the foot contact surface. While the forward tilt angle of the reinforcement member 38 falls within the range of 8 to 20 degrees, the forward tilt angle of the upper surface of the midsole 30 falls within the range of 8 to 16 degrees, so that the upper limit of the forward tilt angle of the reinforcement member 38 is larger. This is because, when the reinforcement member 38 is provided, the rearfoot portion is thicker by the thickness of the reinforcement member 38, so that the forward tilt angle becomes larger. The forward tilt angle of the reinforcement member 38 may be made substantially identical with the forward tilt angle of the upper surface of the midsole 30 by adjusting the thickness of the reinforcement member 38.

As illustrated in FIG. 6, which is a top view of a shoe according to a modification, a reinforcement member 40 may be formed only by two elongate plate members 42. Each plate member 42 on the medial side or the lateral side of the foot extends from the rearfoot portion to the vicinity of the boundary between the midfoot portion and the forefoot portion. The reinforcement member 40 provided at such a position can also improve the strength of the midsole 30 from the rearfoot portion to the boundary between the midfoot portion and the forefoot portion.

Referring back to FIG. 4, the reinforcement member 38 may suitably have a cup shape extending in the positive Z direction along an outer edge in the rearfoot portion. In this case, the reinforcement member 38 has a first curled-up part 44 that extends upward along a predetermined height from the bottom surface of the reinforcement member having a cup shape. The first curled-up part 44 surrounds at least part of the heel. More specifically, the first curled-up part 44 surrounds the both side surfaces and the rear surface of the heel. The height of the first curled-up part 44 may suitably fall within the range of 10 to 60 mm. With the first curled-up part 44 provided, the stability around the heel can be improved. To further improve the stability around the heel, a curled-up part may be provided on each of the medial heel and the lateral heel such as to restrain pronation at the time of landing. In this case, the height of the curled-up part on the medial heel may suitably fall within the range of 10 to 55 mm, and the height of the curled-up part on the lateral heel may suitably fall within the range of 5 to 50 mm. In terms of restraining pronation, the height of the curled-up part on the medial heel may suitably be about 5 millimeters higher than the height of the curled-up part on the lateral heel.

Also, the midsole 30 may suitably have a cup shape extending in the positive Z direction in the rearfoot portion along the reinforcement member 38 having a cup shape. In this case, the midsole 30 has a second curled-up part 46 that extends upward along a predetermined height from the bottom surface of the midsole 30 having a cup shape. The second curled-up part 46 surrounds at least part of the reinforcement member 38. More specifically, the second curled-up part 46 surrounds the both side surfaces and the rear surface of the reinforcement member 38. The second curled-up part 46 is lower in height than the first curled-up part 44. The height of the second curled-up part 46 may be 1.0 to 2.0 times the height of the first curled-up part 44. With the second curled-up part 46 provided, the stability around the heel can be further improved.

There will now be described a method for measuring the angle between the foot contact surface 26 and the ground contact surface 24. The angle between the foot contact surface 26 and the ground contact surface 24 is measured when the shoe 10 is placed on a flat horizontal surface in a no-load state, i.e., a state where the sole 12 is not deformed. When the foot contact surface 26 and the ground contact surface 24 are not uniform planes, the angle between the foot contact surface 26 and the ground contact surface 24 is determined in the following way. First, as illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5, the intersection of the center line S and a virtual line L1, which corresponds to the MP joints Ja, is connected with the point P1 of the medial process of calcaneal tuberosity. Each of the intersection of the center line S and the virtual line L1 and the point P1 is set at the height of the foot contact surface 26. When the line connecting the intersection of the center line S and the virtual line L1 with the point P1 is viewed from a side, a tilted virtual line L2 can be drawn. FIG. 4 illustrates a cross section along the center line S, in which the symbol L1 indicates the position of the virtual line L1 on the cross section, i.e., the position corresponding to the MP joints Ja, and the symbol P1 indicates the position of the medial process of calcaneal tuberosity. Since the position of the virtual line L1 corresponding to the MP joints Ja may be slightly different (shifted along the Y-axis) according to the foot size of the wearer, the position need not necessarily be fixed to one position in the same way. In this case, the positions of the MP joints Ja may be obtained in the state where the wearer's heel is in close contact with the heel side of the shoe upper, and, subsequently, the positions of the MP joints Ja may be obtained again in the state where the wearer's toe is in close contact with the tip end of the shoe upper, for example. The position of the virtual line used to measure the angle between the foot contact surface 26 and the ground contact surface 24 may be located between the two sets of the positions of the MP joints Ja thus obtained. When multiple sets of the positions of the MP joints Ja are considered, the forward tilt angle may fall within a predetermined angle range with respect to at least one set of the positions.

The tilted virtual line L2 may be regarded as a line representing a tilt that indicates an angle between the foot contact surface 26 and a horizontal surface. When a shoe is placed on a flat surface, the ground contact surface 24 is substantially horizontal. Accordingly, the angle between the foot contact surface 26 and the ground contact surface 24 corresponds to an angle between the tilted virtual line L2 and a horizontal line H. In FIG. 5, the horizontal line H is provided at the height (the position along a Z direction) of the virtual line L1. However, since the virtual line L2 is a straight line, the angle between the virtual line L2 and the horizontal line H is unchanged at any height. With the angle between the foot contact surface 26 and the ground contact surface 24 falling within the aforementioned angle range, the bottom of the wearer's foot can be tilted forward when the ground contact surface 24 of the shoe 10 comes into contact with the ground G. Accordingly, the wearer's force to push off the ground G can be efficiently converted into the force to advance.

FIGS. 7 are schematic side views that illustrate the operation of the shoe when the wearer is running.

As illustrated in FIG. 7A, when the wearer's heel lands on the ground G, the heel part 36 having a curved shape comes into contact with the ground G first. When the heel part 36 having a curved shape comes into contact with the ground G first, forward rolling as indicated by an arrow A1 is prompted. FIG. 7B illustrates a state where, as a result of rolling, the shoe 10 is entirely in contact with the ground G at an angle such that the ground contact surface 24 of the shoe 10 becomes parallel to the ground G. In this state, the bottom of the wearer's foot is tilted forward. When the wearer steps in the negative Z direction in this state, repulsion from the ground G has a positive Y component in addition to a positive Z component. This is similar to the case of stepping on a surface tilted forward, such as a starting block used in sprints, for example. Although a general running shoe may also have a tilt angle of about 4 degrees, the shoe 10 according to the embodiment has a tilt angle of 8 to 16 degrees. Accordingly, with the shoe 10 according to the embodiment, far greater acceleration can be obtained in stepping on a forward-tilted surface. Therefore, forward acceleration force can be obtained, as illustrated in FIG. 7C. In FIG. 7C, dotted lines indicate the shoe in the state of FIG. 7B.

As described above, with the shoe 10 of the embodiment, the bottom of the wearer's foot can be tilted forward when the ground contact surface 24 of the shoe 10 comes into contact with the ground G. Accordingly, the wearer's force to push off the ground G can be efficiently converted into the force to advance, so that the wearer can obtain the feeling of acceleration.

FIG. 8 is a side view of a shoe according to another modification. A shoe 50 according to the modification includes a hollow part 54 provided in the rearfoot portion of a midsole 52. The hollow part 54 is provided between the upper surface and the bottom surface of the midsole 52 in a Z-axis direction. In the illustrated example, the hollow part 54 pierces the midsole 52 along the Y-axis, but need not necessarily pierce the midsole 52. With the hollow part 54 provided, acceleration provided by elastic deformation along the Z-axis of the midsole 52 can be obtained. When the hollow part 54 is provided, the midsole may suitably be made harder compared to the case of the solid midsole such as to improve the rigidity. When the hollow part 54 is provided, the thickness of the midsole 52 is measured without regard for the presence of the hollow part 54 and defined as the distance from the ground contact surface to the upper surface (uppermost surface) of the midsole 52, as described previously. With the hollow part 54 provided in the midsole 52, in addition to the feeling of acceleration provided by the conversion of force as described previously, the feeling of acceleration provided by the repulsion from the midsole 52 can also be obtained.

FIG. 9 is a side view of a shoe according to yet another modification. As with the shoe 50, a shoe 60 according to the modification includes a hollow part 64 provided in the rearfoot portion of a midsole 62. The midsole 62 surrounding the hollow part 64 has an unclosed shape when viewed from a side, and is separated in a vertical direction near the midfoot portion. Near the midfoot portion of the midsole 62, a soft material 66 is disposed such as to connect the separated portions of the midsole 62. The soft material 66 is made of a highly elastic material, such as foam or GEL. The soft material 66 is fixed to a surface of the midsole 62, which constitutes an inner surface of the hollow part 64, at two positions one on each of the upper side and the lower side. Thus, by using the soft material 66 to form part of the structure that defines the hollow part 64, the effect of the aforementioned modification can be obtained and, in addition, impact absorption can be improved.

FIG. 10 is a graph that shows experimental results of the shoe according to the embodiment. Eight subjects ran 350 meters wearing the shoes according to the embodiment, and also ran 350 meters wearing conventional shoes (comparative example). FIG. 10 shows variations of the running time. The shoes according to the embodiment have a tilt angle of 12 degrees. Meanwhile, the shoes of the comparative example have a tilt angle of 3 degrees. The vertical axis in FIG. 9 represents a variation of the running time of a subject wearing the shoes according to the embodiment, with respect to the running time of the subject wearing the shoes of the comparative example. As shown in FIG. 10, it is found that the running time of most of the wearers reduced. The speed ratio of part of the wearers increased by nearly 10%.

The present invention is not limited to the aforementioned embodiment, and modifications may be appropriately made to each configuration without departing from the scope of ideas of the present invention. When the embodiment set forth above is generalized, the following aspects are derived.

Aspect 1

A shoe, comprising:

-   -   a sole made of a soft material, the sole including a ground         contact surface and also including a foot contact surface facing         a side opposite to the ground contact surface; and     -   an upper combined with the foot contact surface side of the         sole, wherein     -   a thickness of the sole at a position corresponding to an MP         joint of a wearer is different from a thickness of the sole at a         position corresponding to the center of the heel such that an         angle between the foot contact surface and the ground contact         surface falls within the range of 8 to 16 degrees.

Aspect 2

The shoe of Aspect 1, wherein the sole includes an arch portion recessed upward in a midfoot portion.

With this configuration in which the arch portion is provided, when the midsole is compressed from the above while the shoe is in contact with the ground, a space for deformation of the midsole can be ensured.

Aspect 3

The shoe of Aspect 1 or 2, further comprising a reinforcement member that reinforces the midfoot portion of the sole and a rearfoot portion of the sole.

This configuration can improve the strength of the sole, and also improve the integrity of the midsole.

Aspect 4

The shoe of Aspect 3, wherein the reinforcement member extends continuously from the rearfoot portion to a position corresponding to an MP joint.

With this configuration, force can be appropriately transmitted to the ground.

Aspect 5

The shoe of Aspect 3 or 4, wherein the reinforcement member includes a curled-up part that extends upward along a heel part.

This configuration can stabilize the heel part.

Aspect 6

The shoe of Aspect 5, wherein the sole includes a curled-up part that extends upward along a heel part, and a height of the curled-up part of the reinforcement member is 1.0 to 2 times the height of the curled-up part of the sole.

This configuration can further stabilize the heel part.

Aspect 7

The shoe of any one of Aspects 1 through 6, wherein a rear end part of the rearfoot portion of the sole has a curved shape in a side view.

With this configuration, when the wearer's heel lands on the ground, forward rolling can be prompted.

Aspect 8

The shoe of any one of Aspects 1 through 7, wherein the maximum thickness of the rearfoot portion of the sole is 3 to 5 times the maximum thickness of a forefoot portion of the sole.

This configuration can ensure the stability and also provide the feeling of acceleration.

Aspect 9

The shoe of any one of Aspects 1 through 8, wherein the sole includes a hollow part formed in the rearfoot portion.

With this configuration, repulsion provided by the sole structure can be obtained.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

The present invention is applicable to the technical field of shoes.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST

10 shoe

12 sole

14 upper

24 ground contact surface

26 foot contact surface

36 heel part

38, 50 shoe

60 shoe 

1-9. (canceled)
 10. A shoe, comprising: a sole made of a soft material, the sole including a ground contact surface and also including a foot contact surface facing a side opposite to the ground contact surface; and an upper combined with the foot contact surface side of the sole, wherein a thickness of the sole at a position corresponding to an MP joint of a wearer is different from a thickness of the sole at a position corresponding to the center of the heel such that an angle between the foot contact surface and the ground contact surface falls within the range of 8 to 16 degrees.
 11. The shoe of claim 10, wherein the foot contact surface is flat at the forefoot portion of the sole corresponding to the toe side of a virtual line connecting the wearer's MP joint and the heel side of the virtual line connecting the wearer's MP joint is tilted forward from the midfoot portion to the rearfoot portion.
 12. The shoe of claim 10, wherein the sole includes an arch portion recessed upward in a midfoot portion.
 13. The shoe of claim 10, further comprising a reinforcement member that reinforces the midfoot portion of the sole and a rearfoot portion of the sole.
 14. The shoe of claim 13, wherein the reinforcement member extends continuously from the rearfoot portion to a position corresponding to an MP joint.
 15. The shoe of claim 13, wherein the reinforcement member includes a curled-up part that extends upward along a heel part.
 16. The shoe of claim 15, wherein the sole includes a curled-up part that extends upward along a heel part, and a height of the curled-up part of the reinforcement member is 1.0 to 2 times the height of the curled-up part of the sole.
 17. The shoe of claim 10, wherein a rear end part of the rearfoot portion of the sole has a curved shape, the lowest point being immediately below the center of the heel, the radius of curvature is 100 to 200 mm in a side view.
 18. The shoe of claim 10, wherein the maximum thickness of the rearfoot portion of the sole is 3 to 5 times the maximum thickness of a forefoot portion of the sole.
 19. The shoe of claim 10, wherein the sole includes a hollow part formed in the rearfoot portion. 